THEATER REVIEW:

It may have nearly three-quarters of a century on its odometer, but Cole Porter’s 1934 musical comedy “Anything Goes” has the staying power of the Energizer bunny — it just keeps going and going.

This is a show written for an audience celebrating the end of Prohibition on one hand and feeling the pinch of the Depression on the other.

They needed a laugh and Porter’s collaborators — authors Guy Bolton, P.G. Wodehouse, Howard Lindsay and Russell Crouse — gave them plenty.

UCI’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts is reviving this venerable musical at the Irvine Barclay Theater under the spirited direction of Don Hill, who has added a few new wrinkles to an old favorite.

The show actually starts before the doors open as costumed cast members mingle with awaiting patrons in the lobby — a test of the cast’s improvisational skills.

Once the S.S. America sets out on its trans-Atlantic cruise, the show’s scene-stealing characters battle for audience attention against the backdrop of a glorious period setting designed by Amy C. Maier. And taking her place at the head of the line is Julia Goretsky in the role made indelible by the legendary Ethel Merman.

Goretsky plays singer/evangelist Reno Sweeney with hurricane force, belting out such tunes as “Blow Gabriel, Blow” and the title number with Mermanesque power and turning Porter’s “I Get a Kick Out of You” into a soft, sweet ballad. She’s also an accomplished comic, crossing romantic swords with a stuffy Englishman in one of the show’s funnier moments.

The primary romantic plot — a Wall Street lackey stowing away to win back his lady love, who’s now engaged the aforementioned Brit — is nicely enacted by Mitch Lewis and Deidre Haren. Lewis in particular illustrates the comedic inventiveness that keeps his character one step from Haren’s arms and one step from the brig.

Comical supporting roles are always show stealers, and UCI showcases two of the best in Michael Doonan’s benign gangster and Jeffrey Benson Parker’s plucky Briton. Doonan channels Evil Eye Fleegle from the old Li’l Abner comic strip in a hilarious interpretation, while Parker pulls out all the stereotypical stops as he indulges in a crash course in Americana.

Ashley Moniz kicks up a storm as Doonan’s moll, Bonnie, headlining a “Heaven Hop” number that spotlights the cast’s tap-dancing skills (honed by Tracey Bonner). Nylda Mark has little to do in the first act as Haren’s snooty mother, but rears back with comic gusto in the second. Daryn Mack is a cameo kick as Lewis’ blustering boss, rendered temporarily sightless.

Ensemble excellence abounds in such numbers as “DeLovely,” “Let’s Step Out,” “Blow Gabriel, Blow” and the title tune. The show’s finale is a potpourri of its bouncy score, beautifully executing Heather Castillo’s choreography to the beat of musical director/conductor Daniel Gary Busby’s upbeat orchestra.

It’s very nearly a certifiable antique, but “Anything Goes” is the most produced musical from the 1930s, and UCI’s marvelously animated production illustrates its timeless appeal. You’ll get a kick out of it, too.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: “Anything Goes”

WHERE: UC Irvine Barclay Theater

WHEN: Closing performances Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m.

COST: $35, $30 and $14

CALL: (949) 824-2787

TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot. His reviews appear Thursdays.